Epilepsy is an extremely serious neurological disorder that can develop at any time, in any person. While it’s often genetic, it can sometimes be caused by head trauma, and is one of a number of post-concussion symptoms that can be treated with upper cervical chiropractic care.

Roughly 3.5 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with epilepsy, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Almost half a million of those patients are children. If you or someone you love has recently been diagnosed, it can be a frightening and confusing time. Treatment for epilepsy typically begins with medication, but it often takes a long time for doctors to figure out the correct dosage.

The Effects of Epilepsy

It’s so difficult for doctors to figure out medication dosages because there are many different types of epileptic seizures. These seizures range from dramatic, convulsive tonic-clonic seizures to something as simple as an absence seizure, which is characterized by a vacant stare or small, repetitive body movements like blinking or chewing. After a seizure, it’s not uncommon for patients to feel confused, disoriented, and have a severe headache.

Typically, doctors need to see evidence of at least two seizures happening before they’ll even consider a diagnosis of epilepsy. Once someone is diagnosed, anti-convulsive medication is usually the first step in controlling the seizures. After that, surgery and other invasive therapies are often used to limit the seizures’ frequency and severity.

How Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care Can Treat Epilepsy

Fortunately, invasive surgery isn’t the only option for treatment if medication doesn’t work. Upper cervical chiropractors have had success using spinal manipulation to improve frequent seizures. In one study, a chiropractor using the Blair technique was able to vastly improve symptoms in a young woman who had been suffering from myoclonic seizures for 11 years.

This study confirmed what many chiropractors already know — there is a lot of benefit to exploring chiropractic care as part of an epilepsy treatment plan. Since epilepsy is a disorder of the central nervous system, adjustments to the upper cervical spine are often able to relieve pressure on the Vagus nerve, which may improve communication between the body and nervous system.

Relieving pressure on the nerves in the upper cervical spinal area and correcting misalignment have both been shown to decrease the number of seizures suffered by epileptic patients. This has allowed some patients to decrease or even stop their medications completely.

Upper Cervical Chiropractic of Arizona Treats Epilepsy

If you have epilepsy and are looking for a non-invasive treatment option, consider visiting a local Phoenix chiropractor. A Phoenix chiropractic clinic with practitioners who are trained in the Blair technique will be able to talk to you about your options.

Dr. Anthony Montoya has been working as a Phoenix chiropractor for many years, and has extensive experience treating patients who weren’t getting the results they needed from traditional medications and surgical options. If you or someone in your family has frequent epileptic seizures, he may be able to help. Contact Dr. Montoya today to get a consultation.